Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

01-Sep-2001 --
At 1000CEST I left my home in Taormina by car. First I went
over the Highway A18 to Messina, in order to take the Ferry to Villa San Giovanni on continental Italy (for your guidance there is a project to
build a suspension bridge over the Strait of Messina within the next 5
years).
From Villa San Giovanni I continued on Highway A3 until Lamezia Terme,
thence I went on the State Road SS280 (E848) to Catanzaro and turned South
into the SS19 until Catanzaro Marinaro on the Gulf of Squillace.(see the picture of Italy's beaches 2 days after end of tourist season).
Thence I went on SS106 (the "Jonica"-Street, as it passes for a long
distance along the beautiful Ionian Coast) until the tiny village of
Campolungo, from where a
very narrow road in deplorable state winds up towards Cutro. Shortly after
the village of Rosito, being only a group of a few abandoned farm houses I reached Latitude 39N and stopped.
There is a road crossing, too.
According to my map the correct Longitude of 17E should have been only a 250
metres off the road.
The first sight seemed promising. After all my bad
luck I was already happy and felt strong. No dogs, obviously easy
topography.

So I proceeded to the exact Latitude and there was a wide gap.
I could not believe my eyes. How is this possible?
Well, I tried to go to the exact longitude, sacrificing latitude, just to
see.
And again, a gap.

Well. that was it. My car isn't offroad and myself certainly no longer with
my age.
I attach a picture showing the village of Cutro.

Vegetation is dry and not abundant at this season. The prevailing crop is
yellow corn.

I went back the same way full of anger to Villa San Giovanni, took the Ferry to my home island Sicily and if I were a
drunkard I would have opened a bottle of Scotch in order to forget.